Why is it important or necessary to perform weekly water changes for a plant tank? What is it that is being removed or replenished by doing so? Especially since one actually has to ADD nitrates, etc. to maintain a healthy plant population.
Importance of water change in planted tank
- Thread starter Ger
- Start date
All sorts of other wastes. Toxins produced by - albeit small in a well maintained tank - colonies of who knows what bacteria. Hormones secreted by fish. You name it. There's more to metablism than nitrogen.
In addition to Faramir's good comments on pollutant build-up, you are resetting your supplements to correct levels as well. Unless you are testing for a wide variety of ions weekly (both time consuming and expensive as well as being of dubious value), are you sure some are not shifting out of range, whether high or low? Water change, even large volume water change, is fast and simple and sure and safe.
Water changes eliminate the guess work involoved in dosing or build up of many things you cannot test for or have test kits for.
Each tank changes it's uptake, needs of nutrients, ratios of one nutrient to another etc through time. A water change essentially "re sets" the tank.
To mimic stable levels, large water changes with good dosing allows for maintenance of good plant nutrient levels with minimal testing and guess work. No bad nutient levels ever build up this way for very long nor at very high levels.
You basically can re set your tank and make a "reference" solution each water change for the 50% etc that you change each week.
Good basic maintenance like large frequent water changes will help the critters and plants in any tank for that matter(SW, reef, FW fish only etc).
Think about it like this, 4 people living in a bathroom and only flushing the toilet once a week vs daily. Water changes are like the flushings.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Each tank changes it's uptake, needs of nutrients, ratios of one nutrient to another etc through time. A water change essentially "re sets" the tank.
To mimic stable levels, large water changes with good dosing allows for maintenance of good plant nutrient levels with minimal testing and guess work. No bad nutient levels ever build up this way for very long nor at very high levels.
You basically can re set your tank and make a "reference" solution each water change for the 50% etc that you change each week.
Good basic maintenance like large frequent water changes will help the critters and plants in any tank for that matter(SW, reef, FW fish only etc).
Think about it like this, 4 people living in a bathroom and only flushing the toilet once a week vs daily. Water changes are like the flushings.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Just don't forget to flush and make sure to jiggle the handle after you are done.
regards,
Tom Barr
regards,
Tom Barr
does this mean if I dont leave the canopy down when done with water changes my girlfriend will fall in and be mad at me?
This reminds me of the guy who plumbed his Discus tank as a water reservoir for his toilet in the adjacent room. Every time someone flushed the toilet, fish water would flush to the basin and fresh RO/DI water would automatically refill his tank.
Unusual, but efficient!
Unusual, but efficient!
I suppose Metameusil or drinking lots of fluids would be popular for the fish Breeding season when you need more flushings?
Regards.,
Tom Barr
Regards.,
Tom Barr